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More from the Virtuous Consumer by Leslie Garrett
Haunted by Ghosts of Christmas Past
2008/12/20
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My mother loved the holidays. While she feigned poverty the other 364 days of the year (“If you need new sneakers, you’ll just have to wait until Christmas”), she pulled out all the stops on December 25. Christmas was when we got soda pop – two bright red cases of Pop Shoppe, filled with Cream Soda and Black Cherry, Lemon Lime and Orange. Christmas was when bowls of Humpty Dumpty potato chips magically appeared. We were treated to utterly unnecessary over-the-top gifts that she would never have bought us at any other time. There was the Magic Eight Ball (“signs point to Yes!”) and the year she gave my brother and me “dancing daisies”, fake flowers that “danced” when music was played. Think of them as the precursor the Billy the Singing Bass.
Then, like the Christmas songs that saturate the airwaves in the days leading up to the big day, it all vanished by Boxing Day. All that was left was a mild Pop Shoppe hangover and sweet memories.
Like my mother, I love the holidays. Unlike her, I lean toward less consumption, not more. As time marched on (and my dancing daisy stopped dancing and simply drooped, destined for landfill), I became less enamored with the orgy of consumption that marked the holidays.
I resolved to create holidays that reflected who I was…not who some marketing person thought I should be. It wasn’t easy. When I suggested we cut back on gifts, my in-laws responded as if I’d suggested we eat my children for Christmas dinner. I was accused of not “enjoying” shopping for others. When I suggested to my own family that perhaps they could scale back a bit on the gifts for the kids (our family room was starting to resemble Toys R Us), my mother responded as if she didn’t hear me and simply continued to bombard my kids with gifts.
I had to recognize that I was asking people to shift perspective, which requires time. I stood firm, offering up gifts of homemade antipasto and donations to relevant charities that reflected the recipients’ interest. I eased people into the notions of fair-trade and co-op produced goods, organic and charitable. I felt good about where my money was going…and good about where my gifts were going.
It took awhile, but a few years ago, they all got it.
The result is a holiday that now features a lot less wrapping paper and a lot more laughter. It’s marked by less debt and richer relationships. Less frenzy, more friends.
And, while we still indulge in organic soda pop and potato chips, this year, there won’t be a dancing daisy to be found.
Holiday slackers rejoice: Green = Cheap and Lazy
2008/12/12
My children informed me this morning that it is December 1. How many more sleeps until Christmas? demanded my five-year-old. A few years ago, I would have known that December ushered in the month of zero sleep. Too many gifts to buy, decorations to put up, goodies to bake, money to make (to pay for these holiday extravagances)… But it’s a little known secret (until now) that living green is a politically correct euphemism for living cheap…and lazy.
Case in point: In years past, on December 1, when fathers all over my neighbourhood were putting up extravagant light displays to rival Vegas, complete with Rudolph’s blinking nose and rooftop Santas that no doubt provided low-flying airplanes with what appeared to be an alternate runway, my own father hung a sad strand along the roofline of our front porch. There were, perhaps, 40 lights in total.
My family and I hung our heads in shame at our dimly lit home amidst a neighbourhood of glaring overachievers.
Now, however, it’s easy to look back and rewrite my father’s lack of lighting ambition as evidence of a deeply held conviction that the winter night sky offered beauty enough. And that a wasteful display of electricity was no way to celebrate solstice, Christmas or any other December holiday. See? He wasn’t lazy or cheap…just “green”.
I’ve embraced these principles of eco-living for the past few years. As a result, I’m the least stressed pre-Christmas person I know. I’ve managed to convince both my family and my in-laws that none of us needs another pair of gloves, cookbook or wrong-sized sweater. I shop for gifts for my nieces and nephews online. Thanks to a study that revealed that online shopping and ground shipping creates less emissions than a round-trip to the mall (and far less anxiety as I circle seeking a parking spot!), I let my fingers do the walking and am able to source really unique, fair-trade toys.
Our Christmas decorations are still the ones that graced my own childhood tree, added to annually by whatever my kids make in school. Our tree may make Martha Stewart blanche…but I blush with pride as it reflects my kids’…ummmm…talent, not to mention memories. What’s more, there isn’t a single ornament made in China or offgassing VOCs to rival Exxon Mobil.
Herewith my guide to a “green” (read cheap and lazy) holiday:
• Go ahead…regift: We’ve all done it, though many won’t admit it. But, honestly, there’s no shame is passing along a lovely gift that may not meet our particular needs (or taste) but that seems perfectly suited to someone else’s.
• Decorate judiciously: Less is definitely more. Go for soy-based candles to create indoor ambience instead of strands and strands of lights on mantles, around window frames, wherever... For areas where you want to use lights (or where candlelight is a hazard), ensure that they’re LED, which are not only as pretty, they’ll save you a bundle in electricity. Use natural materials in your decorating: dogwood branches, pine cones, snippets of pine boughs, locally grown cranberries (where possible)… You’ll save money and be able to compost the whole thing come January!
• Wrap it up! You likely have a zillion reusable bags (thanks to the “say no to plastic” campaign, which has perhaps been a little TOO successful). Pick the best ones to use as gift bags. Add a bow of raffia or hemp twine around the handles. You can also reuse maps, butcher paper…just make sure it winds up in the recycling bin when it’s torn off.
• Eat, drink and be organic: How many of us are undoing the top buttons on our pants by late December because we’ve overindulged in a lot of calorie-rich but nutrient-poor food and drink? No need to answer. Been there, done that. These days, however, with an organic diet (that, yes, usually costs a bit more) the cheapskate in me ensures that we don’t eat as much…in order the keep the grocery bill down. The result is food rich in flavor and nutrients and a waistline that keeps it shape.
• Take time to breathe: Yes, you’ve been reminded a zillion times. This year, resolve to do it. Slow down and embrace the true principles of green (ie. cheap and lazy). Mother Nature – a multi-tasker if ever there was one – thanks you.
Noise About Toys
2008/11/30
No matter that last week was summer-like weather, time marches on…bringing the holidays with it. And though I’m generally pretty good at denial (I’m sure that extra five pounds is just from drinking too much water!), when the radio starts playing Christmas carols, even I have to accept that eggnog and Ho!Ho!Ho! are imminent.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m no Scrooge. I love the music. The decorations. The food (at LEAST five pounds of it!). What I don’t love is trying to find something for each of my three children that isn’t going to poison them, kill them or render them intellectually unfit for anything more than beauty pageant contestant (though, come to think of it, working for world peace is a noble pursuit). And that isn’t obviously identifiable as “educational.” Nothing kills my kids’ enthusiasm for a toy than the knowledge that it has educational value. Despite their $10,000-a-year alternative educations, all three are firm believers that fun and learning are mutually exclusive.
And with Christmas 2007 the unofficial Year of the Recall – in total, more than 25 million were pulled off the shelves – is there any reason to believe that this year I can succeed in my holiday toy shopping without a stress headache? Well…there’s good news and bad.
First the good. In July of 2008, with memory of lead-tainted toys still fresh in everyone’s lead-tainted memories, the U.S. Congress passed a law – that will undoubtedly affect what’s for sale in Canada – that promises to make infant and children’s toys safer by requiring that toys be tested for lead BEFORE sale (there’s a good idea! Why didn’t we think of that before?!?!) and that eliminates phthalates, a commonly used chemical to soften hard plastic and an endocrine disrupter. This is a good thing because companies that produce for the American market will generally produce for the Canadian market, rendering our toys safer as a result.
The bad news? This law isn’t in effect until February 2009, ostensibly giving manufacturers and retailers time to unload any remaining toxic offerings to unsuspecting shoppers. The Pollyanna in me would like to believe that no one would be that sneaky and put my child’s health at risk. Then I remember that I live in the real world where this type of greed drives plenty to produce things that are downright dangerous. One rubber duckie manufacturer, who firmly denies that phthalates pose any danger (in spite of considerable evidence to the contrary) admitted to the Wall Street Journal that he fully plans to dump as many toxic bathtub toys as he can before the law goes into effect. Can you say Fowl play?
We could just tell our kids that Santa has quit in disgust and that Christmas is no more. Or we could arm ourselves with the knowledge we need to seek out toys that are healthy and fun (and sneakily educational). Start by staying on top of toy recalls. Log on to www.notinmycart.org; www.usrecallnews.com (which also lists recalls of products sold exclusively in Canada) or www.recalls.gov. Health Canada also offers info on toy recalls. Visit www.hc-sc.gc.ca/cps-spc/child-enfant/index-eng.php. If there’s a specific brand you’re interested in learning more about, visit www.healthytoys.org
Be Greenwash Aware
2008/11/11
"The great enemy of clear language is insincerity."
--George Orwell
"Certified sales associate," reads the label on the woman's bright-red uniform. I'm in 7-Eleven with my seven-year-old and can hardly believe my eyes. Since when did the person who rings up our Slushies become a "certified sales associate" and not just a "cashier?"
I shouldn't be surprised. After all, I've spent the past half-decade examining the "eco" claims on hundreds of products, from shampoo to toilet bowl cleaner to cars. And in that time, I've become well-versed (well, at least better versed than the average consumer) in eco-speak – some legit but much not. Orwell's call for clear language has perhaps never been more necessary with our market being polluted by products that are no better for the planet (or us, for that matter) than their conventional counterparts. The catch is that many companies are using clear language – literally. Labels read "free and clear", "chemical-free" "natural" and "green" but are as meaningless as a politician's promises at election time.
I can hardly blame people for getting cynical. When close to three-quarters of consumers are happy to part with 20 percent more for a product that is better for the environment, it's unconscionable that a company will take that money for a product that bears only a green label, with little or no eco-cred to back it up.
This marketing of products as better for the environment than conventional products is so insidious, it has spawned its own term: greenwashing. And it's getting out of control. In fall 2007, TerraChoice, a not-for-profit marketing company that oversees Environment Canada's "eco-logo" program, conducted a study revealing that 99.9 percent of the claims on products claiming to be eco-friendly were misleading or outright false. Out of roughly 2,000 claims for around 1,200 products, only one was accurate. Which one? Cascade paper towels, which purported to be 100 percent recycled paper content and, in fact, were.
While the other products weren't necessarily bad, they simply weren't as eco-friendly as they claimed.
So where does that leave consumers trying to navigate the aisles of their local store and hold true to their eco-principles? The optimist in me points out that clearly consumers have a lot of clout. There are so many products being rushed to market with claims of eco-friendliness simply because consumers are demanding them and willing to back up those demands with cold, hard cash. That's the good news. The bad news is that some companies are trying to pull a fast one. You can fight back by arming yourself with the necessary info to tell the imposters from the truly green. Keep voting with your wallet. And let companies know why you will or won't be buying their products and ask them to clean up their language. Clearly, the shareholders are listening.
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Consumer Detox
2008/10/17
My five-year-old wants her own credit card. We're 10 days into a self-imposed “consumer detox” in which my family has agreed to go 30 days without purchasing anything other than ingestibles (i.e., food/drink) and medicine, if necessary. We can purchase services (for example, we just got our female puppy spayed yesterday, my daughter has piano lessons and my husband and I attended our first yoga class last night) but no back-to-school supplies, no gorgeous new fall clothes, no gifts for friends' birthdays.
The impetus behind this apparent madness isn't that my husband was fired. Nor did we lose our shirts in the sub-prime scandal south of the border. Our mortgage payments are up to date. We own our vehicles. The cheque for our kids' school fees didn't bounce. Rather our experiment with stepping off of the consumer grid stems from my increasing dismay over the rampant consumerism that seems to pervade every aspect of our lives. As a writer on environmental and social issues, I'm all too aware of what treating our planet like a big-box store and subsequent dump is doing to resources and ecosystems. Case in point: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a mass of trash largely consisting of plastic and fixed between California and Hawaii thanks to currents, has grown from the size of Texas to the size of the continental United States in the past four years. I'm also entirely too aware of what our children's identification of themselves as consumers first and citizens second (after all, they can apply for a credit card before they can register to vote) is doing to their value systems.
Responses to our experiment are mixed. I'm accused of attempting to bring down the economy; of being some sort of freaky hippy. Friends laud what we're doing in the same breath as they admit that they “couldn't do that.” My brother-in-law assures me that climate change is all a scam anyway so none of what we're doing to go easier on the earth really matters.
I'm undeterred. My kids get it – even the five-year-old who wants her own American Express card. Despite initial grumbling about wanting toys, they thought it fun that we managed to repair backpacks and compile two sets of colored pencils for school and sharpen them all (though Sky Blue is decidedly stubby). They got a kick out of the glue sticks that arrived at our door after I sent out an SOS to friends about my kids needing them for school – and all I had was Elmer's white glue; unacceptable, according to school guidelines. (Friends were advised that they couldn't simply buy for me what I couldn't – that they had to supply us from items they had on hand.) My 10-year-old admonished me for buying a cherry pie, suggesting that it was a “treat” and therefore didn't adhere to our principles. My seven-year-old is resigned to having to wait until Christmas for the Indiana Jones Lego set that he covets from his best friend. And my five-year-old – she who is ready to get a job and step onto the treadmill of consumer debt – was recently overheard playing “toy store” with her friend and suggesting “let's play that we can't buy everything we want because we can't afford it and it hurts the planet and so we have to choose only what we love most.”
I may not be able to buy myself a cozy new sweater. But those words will keep me warm.
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